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Create a Custom Link in Your Canvas Course Navigation Menu

Last updated on October 28, 2026

The course navigation menu is a great tool for instructors and students to access different areas of your course or external tools easily. As an instructor, you can now add custom links to the course navigation menu through the Navigation tab in your course settings. These links can provide quick and easy access to important resources.

You can create custom navigation links for Canvas Items, such as important pages, quizzes, or assignments. This can be especially helpful for multi-part projects where students may need to refer back to the original directions often, important exams, or ongoing discussions such as an FAQ forum. 

You can also link students to external websites. This could include adding custom links for an OER or eTextbook that is not already integrated with Canvas as a third-party tool, a weekly Teams Meeting, or an interactive online tool that students are expected to use often.

This tutorial will go over the steps on how to add both an internal Canvas link and an external URL link to your Canvas course navigation menu. For guidance on organizing the navigation menu or disabling the link once you no longer need it, view our tutorial, Enable and Disable Items in the Course Navigation Menu.

Directions

[Length 5:28, CC Available]

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Create an Internal Canvas Navigation Link

  1. Log in to your Canvas Account.
  2. Select the Course you’d like to work in.
  3. Navigate to the Item within Canvas that you want to create a link for.
    • Note: Students must have access to the Item in Canvas for them to be able to open and view it from the navigation link.
  4. Click the Item Name to open it.
  5. Select the entire URL from the URL field at the top of your browser window.
    • For example:
      • msudenver.instructure.com/courses/98763/assignments/syllabus
  6. Copy the URL (CTRL + C for Windows or Command + C for Mac).
  7. Click Settings at the bottom of your left-hand course navigation menu in the same course you copied the link from.
  8. Select Navigation from the tabs at the top of the screen.
  9. Click Add a Link below the first list of items.
  10. Enter a name for the custom link in the Text field.
    • Note: Link names can only be up to 50 characters long. Keep them short and explicit, such as Final Project, Midterm Exam, or Q&A Forum.
  11. Click the Link field so your cursor is after the https://.
  12. Paste the Canvas URL after the https:// (CTRL + V for Windows or Command + V for Mac).
  13. Click Add at the bottom right of the pop-up window. Your link will appear at the bottom of the enabled links list at the top of the Navigation page.
  14. Click and drag the link to a new placement on the list if desired.
  15. Click Save at the bottom right of the Navigation page.
    • Your Custom Link will now appear on the left-side course navigation menu.

Create an External Navigation Link

  1. Open the External Website you wish to create a link for. 
  2. Select the entire URL from the URL field at the top of your browser window.
    • For example:
      • https://ready.msudenver.edu/self-help-tutorials-resources/
  3. Copy the URL (CTRL + C for Windows or Command + C for Mac).
    • Note: For a Teams Meeting link, open the meeting details, click the share icon, then click Copy join link.
  4. Open Canvas in your browser window.
  5. Log in to your Canvas Account.
  6. Select the Course you’d like to work in.
  7. Click Settings at the bottom of your left-hand course navigation menu.
  8. Select Navigation from the tabs at the top of the screen.
  9. Click Add a Link below the first list of items.
  10. Enter a name for the custom link in the Text field.
    • Note: Link names can only be up to 50 characters long. Keep them short and explicit, such as eTextbook, Join Class Meeting, or Virtual Lab.
  11. Delete the https:// in the Link Field.
  12. Paste the Web URL in the Link Field (CTRL + V for Windows or Command + V for Mac).
  13. Click Add at the bottom right of the pop-up window. Your link will appear at the bottom of the enabled links list at the top of the Navigation page.
  14. Click and drag the link to a new placement on the list if desired.
  15. Click Save at the bottom right of the Navigation page.
    • Your Custom Link will now appear on the left-side course navigation menu. 

Have Questions?

Need additional support on this or other teaching and learning topics? Please visit us for drop-in support or try one of our self-help tutorials. 

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